This year, Eagles’ Nest is offering something a little different – we’re giving you the opportunity to make any day your Valentine’s Day! One lucky couple will win an absolutely indulgent picnic for two, to be shared and enjoyed on our green lawns beneath our towering trees, on a date and day of your choice. Our picnic includes your choice of our Sauvignon blanc or Little Eagle red blend and a variety of sumptuous treats, just perfect for sharing, including whole camembert drenched with preserves, freshly baked French loaf, vegetable trio sticks with pesto, chicken liver pate with cranberry jelly, olives, biltong, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

For those in the area on Valentine’s Day, do remember that our tasting room will be open for extended hours that evening. We look forward to welcoming you, to enjoy a wine tasting, sun-downer or romantic picnic - do call us for further details: Tel: 021-794 4095

Want to win?

- Purchase any bottle of Eagles’ Nest wines in our Tasting Room and complete an entry form

or

- Purchase any bottle of Eagles’ Nest wines at a shop or restaurant near you and email/ fax us you invoice and contact details to info@eaglesnestwines.com /     021-794 7113

or

- Love (Like) us on Facebook and share our competition post

or

- Follow us on Twitter and tweet any or all of our competition phrases

T&C’s

- Entrants must do any one of, or a combination of, the above entry mechanisms in order to be entered into the competition. Improve your chances by doing as many of the above as you wish.

- The closing date for this competition is 29 February 2012 (Yes, theres 29 days to February this year)

- The prize must be taken between 1 March 2012 and 31 May 2012

- Booking is essential

- The prize is not transferable and may not be exchanged for cash

- Persons under the age of 18 are not eligible to enter

- The winning couple will be responsible for their own transport to Eagles’ Nest

Good Luck

South African SABC 3 viewers can expect to see the first of its’ kind reality TV Series set in the Cape Town wine lands, home to winemaking for over 350 years, early next month.

Entitled Exploring the Vine, this 13-part series chronicles the winemaking adventures of three up-and-coming local winemakers, Stuart Botha (Winemaker at Eagles’ Nest Wines), Howard Booysen and James Corder, over a 12-month period.

Produced in 2009 by leading South African film production company, Cooked in Africa Films, the series follows the daily antics of this unlikely trio of “wine boffins”, as they work long and hard to make a name for themselves in a notoriously competitive industry.

Says Founder and Executive Producer of Cooked in Africa Films, Justin Bonello, “Filmed in and around Stellenbosch, Constantia and Elgin, the Series provides a unique and entertaining showcase of what makes South African wines among some of the best in the world. Stuart, Howard and James represent a new generation of local winemakers who have each proven that the opposite is true when it comes to wine production: youth is not a handicap when it comes to making an excellent wine.”

In 2010, Cooked in Africa Films sold the global satellite rights to the series to National Geographic, succeeding in exposing the virtues of South African wine to an international audience.

“Exploring the Vine has been screened worldwide through the National Geographic Channel, establishing a global fan base for our three young winemakers and delivering tremendous value to the SA wine industry in the form of rich content and high entertainment appeal,” Justin comments.

SABC 3 viewers can expect a bird’s eye view of one of the most well respected wine destinations in the world as the talented trio try to balance hard work with leisure. There’s laughter and banter aplenty as the boys hit the road and discover the people, the places and sometimes the tall stories that make the South African wine industry truly unique.

The first episode of Exploring the Vine will be premiered on SABC 3 on Saturday, 4 February 2012 at 4pm.

Andrew Leaver, Commercial Manager of Eagles’ Nest, said: “We are delighted with this international acclaim. This is probably the most respected competition held on the international stage. The finest wines from every wine region in the world enter, making the winner, essentially, the best example of its cultivar in the world.”

Consulting winemaker to Eagles’ Nest, Martin Meinert, who won Winemaker of the Year at the Investec Private Bank Winemakers Choice Awards with this Shiraz, said: “I am exceptionally proud of this wine. To my knowledge it is unprecedented that a small estate can win such international acclaim with its second release. The team at Eagles’ Nest are passionate about what they do, it is an exceptional wine estate to work with and I am absolutely delighted with this award.”

The IWSC entries are judged using professional blind tasting and detailed chemical and microbiological analysis. The awards will be celebrated at an IWSC function in London for 500 guests in November.

Eagles’ Nest vineyards were established after the devastating fire in 2000 destroyed the fynbos and natural vegetation on the farm, as well as 95% of the forestation, and the owners, the Mylrea family, decided to shift the focus of the estate to wine,” said Leaver. In the 1600s the farm had formed part of Simon van der Stel’s Groote Constantia that produced wine for the nobility in Europe.

According to resident winemaker Stuart Botha, although the Constantia wine region is well known for its white wines, Eagles’ Nest has a unique terroir within the valley as it is situated on the highest slope in the Constantia Valley, making it more suitable to reds.

“We are concentrating on three cultivars, our prize winning Shiraz, Merlot which is award winning in its own right with four stars in the John Platter and ironically the cultivar our customers often prefer, and one white, our Viognier, which also won Silver-Best in Class at this year’s IWSC.”

The Eagles’ Nest Shiraz is a typical cool climate Shiraz with rich, fresh dark-plum colour and white pepper tones on the nose. It also won local acclaim with a Best Red Wine Trophy at the Investec Private Bank Winemakers Choice Awards.

Tastings at Eagles’ Nest are welcomed, but by appointment, please call 021 683 0487.

What a year for us. Our 3 wines continue to exceed all expectations. We released our Shiraz 2007 in April, and due to the fact that only 6750 bottles were made, it was sold out by October. During this time it scooped the Winemarkers’ Choice Red Wine Trophy, Vertias Gold, IWSC International Shiraz Trophy and 4½ stars in the 2010 Platter Guide. This was only our second vintage, the first being the equally-awarded 2006. The style of our Shiraz is very like Northen Rhône style, with subtle savoury and spicy notes and a wonderful, elegant finish.

We bottled the 2008 vintage about 2 weeks ago and plan to release it around Easter next year. We are allocating this wine pre-release so please email Andrew if you would like an allocation.

Our Viognier 2008 was released in June and this is our special little nugget of gold. We only produce around 3500 bottles every year of this minerally, Condrieu-style wine and it is simply sensational. If ever in doubt as to what to serve with sushi or mild Thai-inspired cooking, this is your wine, it’s a match made in heaven.

The Merlot 2006 has developed beautifully over the past year in bottle. This is a serious, right-bank Bordeaux-style wine but with gorgeous intergrated cherry and plum fruit flavours. Great merlot often has classic Christmas cake flavours and this wine has it in spades. If you are looking for the ultimate Christmas dinner wine, I’d recommend it. It has been award the very prestigous Best in Class at the 2008 IWSC awards in London, as well as 4-stars in the 2010 Platter Guide.

Due to many courier companies closing over the festive period, we recommed you order your wines for Chritmas and New Year before the 16th December to ensure your wine gets to you in time. Remember, all wines ordered on our website are delivered FREE anywhere in South Africa.

We are always delighted to welcome you to our farm so please give us a call if you’d like to come and visit us. Our tasting room is still a ‘twinkle in the eye’ so visits are done on an appointment basis for now.

In the run-up and during harvest we are going to have a blog site that is going to be updated daily. This is so you can see what we are up to in the vineyards and the cellar and get to be part of the action. The site is www.eaglesnestwines.blogspot.com.

In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter (@eaglesnestwines) for regular updates about us and all things wine in no more than 140 characters!

Until next time, we hope you have a very happy festive season.

All of us at Eagles’ Nest.

Next, some excting new wines are coming on stream and should be released during the month of August. The first is our baby called ‘The Little Eagle’, which is a 2008 blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It will sell for R65 off the farm. Another new wine is a premium Merlot-based blend called Verreaux (the correct name for the Black Eagle), also from the 2008 vintage and will sell for R145 per bottle. Lastly, a stunning 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from grapes sourced from two mind-blowing good vineyards. A brilliant wine at R75 a bottle.

This award follows in the success of our 2006 Shiraz, winner of the same trophies at the 2008 awards and our 2007 vintage which won the BEST SHIRAZ / SYRAH Trophy at the International Wine & Spirits Competition held last year in London.

This is the first time in the history of the Trophy Wine Show that a single producer has won BEST RED WINE more than once.

The 2008 Shiraz is a typical cool climate wine with rich dark berries, plum and prominent white pepper notes. The tannins are very soft and integrated and we envisage this wine will drink well to 2018.

The 2008 Shiraz was released on the 14th May 2010 and is available at leading wine shops and online at www.eaglesnestonline.co.za

We look forward to hearing from you soon,

All of us at Eagles’ Nest